


From the depths to the skies

by randomisedmongoose



Series: Stobotnik surprise [6]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I continue my streak of subjecting Stone to all the shit, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Past Torture, as sweet as they will ever be ngl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23269540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomisedmongoose/pseuds/randomisedmongoose
Summary: It’s taking a while for Stone to deal with everything that happened while Robotnik was gone. Some nights are harder than others. The doctor tries to help him the only way he knows how.
Relationships: Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik/Agent Stone
Series: Stobotnik surprise [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653382
Comments: 28
Kudos: 155





	From the depths to the skies

**Author's Note:**

> A short story of love languages and communication problems. I listened to way too much Sabaton when I wrote this, so it’s pretty bombastic. Word to the wise: “The Red Baron” is a great fucking song about flying and being better than everyone else.

_tell us_

_tell us, agent_

_tighten the straps_

_he’s resilient, I’ll give him that_

_another dose should_

_too many shocks could_

_doesn’t matter_

_just tell us_

_tell us_

_tell us everything_

Stone woke screaming, sitting straight up in the darkness of his bedroom. The sweat was pouring off him, soaking his sheets and matting his hair; his chest felt tight and his heart was racing. He fumbled for the light in complete panic, managing to finally push the button. As the light flooded into his eyes, disorienting and hurting him, a black shadow appeared in the doorway. Stone screamed again and threw himself towards the nightstand to grab his gun. The shadow was faster. Strong, wiry hands held him, pinning him to the bed. Someone was on top of him, shouting. He fought, not expertly but like a desperate, caged animal.

“Stone! Stone, calm yourself!” The voice was confused, concerned. “Stone, goddamnit, it’s me!”

_No, you’re gone! They disappeared you, you’re gone, it’s a lie, it’s the drugs, I’ve seen you so many times and every time was a lie a dream you’re gone gone gone and there’s only pain_

“What is- stop it, Stone, look at me!” The hands released him, tried to cup his face, but Stone wrestled himself from under the figure and scrambled off the bed, smashing into the closet and crashing to the floor, where he crawled into a corner and stared unblinking at the intruder. His breath came ragged and shallow, one hand out to shield himself and the other gripping his aching chest.

Robotnik’s eyes narrowed in confusion, a feeling he didn’t relish in the slightest. He’d never seen the man in this state before. He climbed off the bed and slowly raised his glove, scanning the cowering agent. Adrenaline and norepinephrine levels spiking. Hyperventilation. Chest pain. Tunnel vision. Confusion. Copious sweating. All classic symptoms of a panic attack.

_Ah. I see._

As soon as the answer came, a new mental script clicked into place. He slowly approached, crouching down in front of the agent.

“Stone. It’s me. It’s Robotnik.” He gritted his teeth. “It’s… Ivo. You are experiencing a panic attack, Stone.” Robotnik slowly, lightly touched Stone’s knee. The agent didn’t pull back, frozen in fear. Robotnik sat down beside him and, after hesitating briefly, put a hand on his back.

“Breathe. Breathe, Stone. Calmly.” He floundered for the right thing to say, falling back on comforting jargon. “Your hyperventilation is causing a positive feedback loop in your sympathetic nerve system. It is essential that you return to a normal breathing scheme at this juncture.”

Stone kept gasping for air, trembling, eyes unseeing and wide. Robotnik fought to calm the anger and irritation that always bubbled just below the surface and forced his hand to pat the agent’s back, providing a sense of stability despite his own lack of comfort.

“I’m at your side, Stone. Keep breathing in a calm and orderly fashion.” He kept gingerly petting Stone’s back, murmuring the same words over and over. _I’m at your side. Keep breathing._

Bit by bit, Stone’s breathing slowly returned to something more resembling normal; the trembling subsided. He coughed and wiped his forehead on his tank top. Robotnik got up and helped him over to the bed, then fetched some water from the bathroom. After placing the glass on the bedside table, he sat down cross-legged on the bed, surreptitiously scanning the agent again while pretending to adjust his gloves. Stone smiled tiredly and gestured to Robotnik’s hands.

“Readings good?” The doctor put the hand down, slightly embarrassed.

“Within normal parameters.” He fiddled with the glove again and cleared his throat, supremely uncomfortable. “You were screaming, Stone.”

Stone leaned back against the headboard and dragged his hands down his tired face. “I was? I was. It was… I felt like I was dying. I couldn’t get air.” He drank some water and looked up at the ceiling. “I had a bad dream. A really bad one. I was back in… that place.” He shuddered.

Robotnik grimaced. “I was not aware that you were still experiencing these nightmares.”

Stone looked down at the glass in his hands. “I don’t, really. Not often. Not this bad, anyway.”

“Not often is not mathematically equal to never, Stone. You’ve been keeping it from me.” He tried to keep the accusation from creeping into his voice.

Stone put the glass away and massaged his temples, sighing deeply. “I… didn’t want to bother you with it.”

Robotnik stopped fiddling with his glove and looked at him in genuine surprise. “Why?”

It was such a simple question, but it left Stone nonplussed. Why? He gestured aimlessly and tried to gather his thoughts.

“I mean… it’s- you have so much to do. _I’m_ supposed to take care of _you_. I’m your... assistant. You don’t have to… it- it would take time from…” He trailed off. Robotnik was staring at him, mouth open.

_Damn. Damn! I keep miscalculating! I left him out of the equation again. This is unacceptable! I need to correct this._

“Doctor?”

“Come.” The doctor jumped off the bed and stomped out of the room. Stone sighed, threw back the last of the water and scrabbled to put his clothes on, only managing to throw a hoodie over the tank top and sweatpants he’d worn to bed before he stumbled after Robotnik.

It was early morning. The mists lay like a sea of white outside the windows, obscuring the wild and majestic landscape and leaving only softness and calm. Stone stopped and rested his head against the cool glass for a second while Robotnik hurried over to the office area. The doctor rummaged around on the desk, throwing papers over his shoulder as he opened and closed drawers.

“Come on, Stone, we’re going to the flight lab!” Stone hummed a tired agreement and left the windows, joining the doctor at the desk. The flight lab held what had been the main project this last month, one that had required many late nights and a steady supply of coffee, equipment and materials. Robotnik triumphantly held up what he had been looking for – the quill, still resting in its little container. He whirled around and stalked off towards the expansive hangar with Stone in tow, furiously talking as he examined the gas-filled cylinder with its crackling content.

“We recreated it, Stone – the prototype crashed in that godsforsaken fungal hellscape, but I had the blueprints left. And it’s even better this time! Much improved, I must say, trying to catch the little vermin gave me one or two ideas, as did the time in exile.”

One eye twitched and he gripped the container tight. Stone made a mental note as he tried to match the doctor’s hurried strides. Those months apart had been harsh for both of them. The doctor stormed ahead to push open the heavy doors with a flourish. The flyer was covered with a heavy tarpaulin, and Robotnik had to pull hard to get it off. As the tarp folded on the ground, Stone flipped the main power switch, and the lab was bathed in light.

The machine was, like everything the doctor designed, extraordinary. It reminded Stone of an orca more than anything else – black and white, all sleek lines and deadly purpose. The doctor sighed happily as he circled the flyer. He ran his hand over the chrome, fingers caressing the shiny metal. The doctor had a hungry look in his eyes, one Stone had thought was reserved for him and him alone. He felt a brief pang of anger, then shook it off with a snort of laughter.

_I’m jealous of a fucking airplane._

Robotnik completed his round and returned to stand beside Stone. He tugged on his glove and looked sidelong at the agent.

“It’s ready for flight. I finished it last night while you were sleeping. I had thought to put off the testing until we were ready with more of the side-mounted heavy assault weapons, but…” His eyes wandered, looking at everything but the agent. “Considering the present situation…” He fell silent and struggled for words, hands balling into fists.

_As you are not performing to your normal standards… No. Since your useless mind can’t process your trauma in a… No! I’m sorry you’re feeling down… Hell no!_

_Goddamn it!_ Robotnik sighed angrily and threw his hands in the air, storming off to pace around the flyer again. Stone watched him, confused but too tired to offer any support. Finally, the doctor calmed down enough to stand still, pinching the bridge of his nose, one foot tapping repeatedly. When he spoke, it was tense and measured.

“You felt like you were dying. I’ve never felt as _alive_ as when I chased that little blue asshole, Stone.” He raised his hand and pushed a button on his glove. The opaque glass slid back, revealing the cockpit. “What do you say we take it for a spin?” Robotnik shook the container with the quill.

Stone nearly laughed. _I just had a panic attack and you want to take me on a supersonic flight?_ He started protesting, but stopped when he saw the look on the doctor’s face.

Robotnik looked almost pleading.

_You’re apologising? This is an apology. You want to make me feel better._

Stone zipped his hoodie up and sighed. “Sure, doctor.”

The resulting look of relief on was all the motivation he needed, had he needed more.

They climbed into the flyer and strapped in. Stone remembered most of the controls from the prototype, but there were a few distinct differences. The dashboard was wider to accommodate a number of new instruments including oxygen sensors and an advanced altimeter. Robotnik pressed a few buttons and the hangar doors opened, letting in cold air and swirling mist. The flyer engaged its antigravity field, undeployed the supports and hovered above the ground, almost expectantly. Robotnik guided it forward until they passed the opening, which closed smoothly behind them. In its slot in the middle of the dashboard, the blue quill crackled with energy next to a big red button. Robotnik cracked his knuckles and smiled.

“Let’s go, agent.” He pushed the button, and the thrustors powered by whatever alien energy was stored in the quill kicked into full gear. The resulting jolt pushed both men deep into their seats. The flyer shot forward like lightning, burning the mist behind it into nothing.

It was too fast, to sudden, too much; no human being could possibly react at these speeds. They dove down into a canyon, sharp cliffs rushing past on both sides, then up, just missing the tops of the evergreens, dislodging twigs and the occasional bird’s nest. They raced along the mountaintops, almost skipping in giant strides from one to the other. Left, right, left, left, right. Robotnik was laughing like a maniac, gripping the controls tightly, piloting the flyer with inhuman accuracy.

The machine swooped down, following a sheer cliff face to its inevitable end; then a sharp turn, then climbing, climbing. Stone gripped the seat and held his breath without realising it. Robotnik pulled the controls back fully, keeping them on a straight course towards the stratosphere. His face was screwed into a permanent rictus grin. Up, up, up, higher and higher, until the controls were blinking red, until the blue was fading into black and the stars were coming out. Stone stared out the window, transfixed. He could see the curve of the world through the tempered glass.

The doctor shifted the controls at the very last second, before gravity lost its grip on them entirely. Down, down, down. The g-forces were pushing them into the seats again, the clouds were billowing past until the tips of the Appalachians revealed themselves. They raced along the green valleys, northwards, following a river, skimming the surface and casting a spray of glittering water in their wake. Stone could see another plane, two, three; black, stealthy things, fast but not nearly as fast as them. He laughed as they left the pursuing fighter jets far behind, no doubt confusing their pilots and scrambling their radars.

All too soon, they returned to the base and landed on the floor of the hangar. Stone climbed out and leaned against the cold, dewy side of the flyer and tried to massage some life back into his hands. Robotnik jumped out, landed on the floor and whirled around, hands outstretched like he’d just done a magic trick. A wide smile was plastered across his face, hair falling into his eyes, pupils reduced to pinpoints, chest heaving. Stone stared at him.

_You’re insane. Completely bonkers._

Stone grabbed Robotnik by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a fierce kiss. The doctor reacted in kind, locking in, neither of them stopping other than getting up for air. Stone ran his hands through Robotnik’s hair, tangling it between his fingers, gripping the back of his neck tightly. Robotnik held him by the waist, fingers digging into his sore back hard enough to leave marks.

Finally, they broke off, panting, still holding each other close. They stared at each other until Robotnik released his grip and smoothed his hair back.

“Happier, Stone?” He adjusted his rumpled shirt.

Stone laughed and shook his head. “You fucking… yes. Yes, I’m happier.”

Robotnik put a hand underneath the agent’s chin, lifting it slightly, and took a deep breath.

“I do not know how to say this clearer. Your happiness and well-being are important to me. I greatly appreciate your presence in my life. From now on, you tell me things, Stone.” He exhaled and stared at Stone as if challenging the agent to mock him.

Stone stared back at him, then smiled. “There you go with your ill-advised concern for my well-being.”

The doctor released him and looked away, embarrassed. “Hmpf. At least your memory is adequate.” He stared at the flyer for a second, then glanced at Stone. “I will kill anyone who tries to lay a hand on you. Do you understand me?”

“I understand.” Stone took his face between his hands and kissed him again.

_Yes. I understand what you’re saying._

_I love you too._


End file.
